Voice of conscience

Abe should listen to Japanese citizens and intellectuals

Rallies condemning acts to stoke anti-Korean sentiments are happening in Japan one after another. on Sunday, hundreds of Japanese citizens held a rally in downtown Tokyo to condemn acts inciting hatred against South Korea. During the rally, the participants denounced some Japanese media outlets directing anger and disgust at South Korea, and called for solidarity among the civic groups of the neighboring countries. There was a similar rally in Osaka on the same day.

Nearly 10,000 people have joined a signature-collection campaign demanding the removal of Japan's export restrictions on South Korea. In late August, some 350 Japanese organized a rally titled "Is South Korea the Enemy?" in Tokyo. They denounced Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for dividing citizens of Seoul and Tokyo and turning them against each other.

It's a relief to find that Japan's civil society remains intact when it comes to conscience, despite the Japanese government's ill-advised rightward movement. There is every reason to have high hopes for a better relationship between our two countries.

Germany apologized for the suffering it inflicted on Poland during World War II, once again. Speaking at a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the start of WWII, Sept. 1, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, "I bow in mourning to the suffering of the victims. I ask for forgiveness for Germany's historical debt. I affirm our lasting responsibility."

While Germany, a WWII aggressor nation like Japan, has been reflecting on the past sincerely, Japan has taken a different path. The Abe administration should be ashamed for denying clear historical facts and taking retaliatory measures against South Korea, its colonization victim, apparently over the wartime forced labor issue.

The first step South Korea and Japan can take toward peace and prosperity is certain. Prime Minister Abe should listen to Japan's conscientious citizens and intellectuals who are calling for a halt to the demonizing of South Korea, and resolve the conflict through dialogue.